Malik HaynesMs. Gaines English 322, May 2014 Inspirational Career in Petroleum Engineering HISTORY Petroleum engineering is one of society's most prominent careers. This is a field of engineering that involves parts of chemistry, hydrocarbons which can be crude oil/petroleum or natural gas. Petroleum engineering has many difficult phases. As you read more, many more facts will be stated about why petroleum engineering is important. Petroleum engineering is the development and exploitation of crude oil/petroleum and natural gas. The foundation was founded in 1890 in California. This career was developed to correlate oil producing zones and water zones from wells to prevent large amounts of water from entering oil producing zones. The word relies on oil and gas to produce energy. Gas and oil must be located and extracted. Petroleum engineering makes this possible; they are responsible for bringing oil and gas fields into operation. They have a promising future as long as gas and oil remain the main resources for energy needs. Petroleum engineers work with other scientists, geologists, chemists, and other engineers to determine how to operate oil and gas fields as smoothly and safely as possible. They also design equipment used for drilling operations. Their main goal is to create a system that produces more oil and gas from deposits. Requirements A petroleum engineer must obtain a bachelor's degree in engineering. Some engineering programs offer field work while in school to equate the student with the type of work in the petroleum engineering field. They are required to be licensed to work in public with others working under another petroleum engineer. Licensure requires an individual to have a bachelor's degree from an ABET accredited program. Oil and gas extraction is the largest industry, so it is easier for a petroleum engineer to find work. Oil and gas companies will start drilling in deeper waters and less open locations due to high prices. This simultaneously involves multiple engineers working on each drilling site at a time. Many petroleum engineers will be needed to meet regulations for deepwater drilling. Petroleum engineering is one of the highest paying occupations in the economy. Experienced petroleum engineers can also start their own companies and provide services to larger oil and gas companies ("Petroleum Engineers: Occupational Outlook Handbook: US Bureau of Labor Statistics." US Bureau of Labor Statistics. NP, nd Web Retrieved 22 May 2014) Petroleum engineering is a very challenging field to work in. It would all pay off in the end. The pay is really excellent